CV gets going in big way

Soccer: After pair of ties to start league, defending champs get four goals from Atanackovic in 7-0 rout of Burroughs.

January 10, 2012|By Grant Gordon, grant.gordon@latimes.com

LA CRESCENTA — Having stumbled a bit out of the gates in defense of its Pacific League title, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team admittedly had Monday's match against Burroughs, last season's second-place finisher, circled on the calendar.

Whether it was the extra incentive or simply that everything finally came together at the right time, the Falcons — led by their All-CIF Southern Section trio of Pavle Atanackovic, Alex Berger and Salar Hajimirsadeghi — made an emphatic statement with a 7-0 drubbing of the visiting Indians.

"CV dominated the game," said Burroughs Coach Mike Kodama, whose Indians fell to 2-6-2, 1-1-1 in league. "Once they were able to finish, they poured it on.

Advertisement

"They played an outstanding game. ... They have players up top who can finish."

In particular, Atanackovic, the reigning All-Area Boys' Soccer Player of the Year, who had four goals, while Berger had a goal and three assists and Hajimirsadeghi had a goal and an assist.

"I think it's a really good score against a good team," said Atanackovic, who had two goals in each half. "Everything came together."

Ranked fifth in CIF Southern Section Division IV, the Falcons (5-0-6, 2-0-1) earned their first league victory after tying Glendale, 1-1, and Burbank, 2-2, to open league last week.

At the onset, it was a back-and-forth match, with both squads going up and down the field and, at one point, sharing four shots apiece. But at the end of the game, Crescenta Valley held an overwhelming 22-6 shot advantage.

A Hajimirsadeghi steal turned the tides, as he broke loose on the right wing, got space on his mark and shot low inside the far post for a 1-0 lead with just under 12 minutes gone.

Seconds later, though, Burroughs responded with arguably its best chance of the game, when Alex Avelar-Escalante took a cross and headed the ball on net. But Falcons goalie Nick Ruiz was perfectly placed to make one of his four saves in the shutout.

Roughly nine minutes after CV's first tally, Michael Shahnazarians played a beautiful ball up to Berger, who beat his mark — once again up the right side, and made a low shot through the grasp of the keeper for a 2-0 lead. It was then that the Falcons began to turn it into a rout.